Perlite is an excellent growing medium for orchids

Growing with perliteorchidsgives good results:orchidroots are well developed and grow vigorously, with root rot occurring very rarely. Perlite is a good substrate for soilless cultivation oforchids. Perlite is light, soft and pollution-free, with nopests or diseasesconcerns, and its pH is moderate; orchid roots grow and extend downward without resistance, and the roots are mostly upright and extend downward, white and robust. The orchid leaves are deep green and luxuriant, and flowering is good. Perlite has moderate water content and strong drainage, so there is absolutely no water accumulation in a flower pot with a bottom hole. And because it releases water slowly, even if you forget to water when it is time, it will not become excessively dry, so whether dry or wet, it will not damage the roots or seedlings, and there will certainly be no stunted growth of the orchid seedlings due to an overly [wet] substrate. After more than two years of comparative practice, the author believes that perlite is a good substrate for soilless orchid growing. Using perlite as a soillesscultivationsubstratefor growing orchidshas the following advantages: 1. Free of impurities and sterile, sopests and diseasesare unlikely to occur. 2. It wets through as soon as you water, with no failure to wet through or half-watering. Management is simple, with no need to soak the pot to supply water. 3. It is light, which reduces labor and greatly lightens the load on the balcony. However, perlite also has its disadvantages: 1. Perlite itself contains no nutrients at all and must rely on external sources of fertilizer, so nutrient solution must be applied regularly and foliar fertilizer added to meet the needs of orchid seedling growth. 2. Under sunlight, green algae very easily appear on the surface of perlite; to prevent green algae from growing, a layer of small stones the size of beans can be placed on the surface. Bean-sized small stones can be bought at a fish shop that sells ornamental fish. These stones are the kind used at the bottom of fish tanks. They are fairly smooth and round, without sharp edges, and will not harm the normal growth of leaf buds and flower buds. At the same time, they also have an elegant ornamental quality, adding beauty to the pot surface, delicate and refined. As for the color, you can choose according to your own taste and the color of the flower pot. Perlite is light, and when misting or watering orchids it is easily washed away by airflow or water; with the weight of the small stones, this drawback is eliminated. Covering the pot surface with a layer of small stones truly serves multiple purposes at once. There are no special requirements for care and management; it is the same as generalorchid growing, only that attention must be paid to fertilizing during the orchid's growing season. Do not use farmyard manure (organic fertilizer); organic fertilizer generally tends to have incomplete elements, that is, excessive major elements and insufficient trace elements. A complete-element chemical fertilizer must be used, so as to prevent nutrient deficiency symptoms in the orchid plants and allow them to grow in a balanced way. The author's consistent practice is never to water with plain water (water without fertilizer). Whenever watering, an appropriate amount of nutrient solution or solid fertilizer must be added to the water (solid chemical fertilizer must be fully dissolved before being applied in watering). When using chemical fertilizer or nutrient solution, follow the manufacturer's product instructions, and by no means exceed the amount, to prevent [harm]. During the orchid growing season, foliar fertilizer must be added, once a week. During the reproductive growth period, more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be applied, which is very beneficial for flowering. In winter, when orchid plants are in the semi-dormant stage, applying only foliar fertilizer in November, December and January can meet their needs. Perlite has good air permeability and moderate water content; the porosity of perlite is 93%. When watering, most of the water remains on the surface; because the water tension is small and it flows easily, perlite drains easily and breathes easily. Whencultivatingorchids with strict water content (optimal water-air ratio) requirements, choosing perlite is relatively ideal. According to relevant materials, especially whencultivatingsome acid-loving southern flowers, perlite can better show its superiority. Perlite itself contains trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, chromium, copper and boron, but most of them cannot be absorbed and used by orchids and other plants, which is why when using perlite to grow orchids (or cultivate other flowers) you must fertilize on time. When buying perlite, it is best to choose the large-grained kind, which is more conducive to air permeability. When using it to fill pots, it is best if it is semi-dry; when semi-dry, perlite is in loose granules, which helps to fill in around the roots, and no hollows will appear in the pot. When wet, perlite easily sticks together into clumps and is inconvenient for potting. Perlite dust is strongly irritating to the throat, so before use spray it with water to prevent dust from flying. Perlite contains fluorine, which is harmful to plants, so before use rinse it with water twice. In cities where perlite is convenient to buy, it can be used alone. When it is not convenient, in order to save perlite, a 1:1 ratio of perlite and cinder can be used, with the same effect. The cinder should be sieved to the size of mung beans for best results. But honeycomb coal cinder must not be used. After perlite has been used for 2 years, inorganic salts may adhere to it. In this case, it can be soaked in soft water (boiled water after it has cooled) for two days, then taken out and reused. Perlite is very cheap. It can be used to cultivate flowers such as clivia and rhododendrons, and because of its good air permeability it is also a good medium for propagating various flowers, herbaceous plants and woody plants from cuttings; its features are fast rooting and a high survival rate. A respectful note to orchid friends: I have found that a few orchid friends, as soon as they see a new orchid growing substrate introduced in newspapers or magazines, treasure it as if they had found a rare gem and eagerly take it and replace all their substrate with the new one. The author believes this method is not advisable; the correct way is to first take one or two pots of orchids for a trial, and only when success is assured should the cultivated orchids be gradually switched to the new substrate. Author: Jin Weng Address: No. 6, Unit 1, Building 15, Jingangli West District, Taiyuan Postcode: 030009 Phone: 0351-3330549